


A Dandelion with Thorns: Galar Record

by Aqua7KH



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Fate & Destiny, Gen, Minor Character Death, Psychological Horror, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:08:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27223264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aqua7KH/pseuds/Aqua7KH
Summary: Leon is a young 14 year old boy who struggles to cope with his brother's severe illness. Likewise with his friends Piers and Raihan, the three also struggle with coping with the horrors of the world around them. But when a particular creature appears one day offering all three a wish, Leon and his friends find themselves in a dangerous and horrifying war for their fate, their loved ones, and the world around them. How far will they go to protect the people that they love?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. 0.1 - Fake Champion

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so here I am, rising from the depths of hell and throwing this brand new fic into the void after five years of not writing fanfiction. A lot and I mean a LOT has happened since I last wrote fanfiction, and I'm sorry for my previous readers who have been waiting for my past fanfictions. Don't worry, I'm not planning on giving my other ones forever! I just want to start this brand new fanfiction to put me back in the game :D
> 
> So I'm not quite used to Archive of Our Own, so bare with me. I have included tags in the fanfiction already of course, but I still want to put in warnings: this fanfiction is going to deal with heavy themes, including depression, mentions/allusions to suicide, violence, some slight gore and psychological horror. If that is something that you can't handle please do not read this fanfiction.

_ When I was younger, I used to watch a lot of movies about superheroes. I always wanted to become one- I would even imagine scenarios, crazy big ideas of the world being in danger just so I can save it. I didn’t meet Piers yet, so it was just me and Raihan, two superhero partners who saved the day on the playground. But one day, when I saw Hop for the first time and his tiny little hand wrapped around my finger as he smiled, I knew right then and there that I wanted to be Hop’s hero. Hop’s champion. _

Leon’s eyes opened wide and squinted in the dark as the male woke up only to hear the cries of his little brother. Without a second too soon Leon leaped out of his bed as if there was a fire in his home and made a beeline straight for Hop’s room across the hallway. His movements were quick and automatic- the fourteen year old desperate to make it to the male’s room. His bare feet smacked against the hardwood floors as he slammed the door open, only to be greeted by the sight of his mother holding Hop on her lap, with a breathing mask on his face connected to a nebulizer.

As soon as Hop saw his brother, the male lifted his arms up and cried out to him. “L-Lee!” He wheezed. Hop always had trouble pronouncing Leon’s name when he was a toddler, and so the nickname ‘Lee’ stuck eventually. The crying only caused the poor boy to wheeze even more, with their mother quickly trying to comfort the boy in her arms.

”Shh...” the mother whispered, closing her eyes as she held Hop closely within her arms. “Hop please calm down.” But the boy wouldn’t listen. He rapidly shook his head and screamed out. 

Leon lost count of how many times his heart had broken into a billion little pieces from having to see this sight. The sight of Hop having an asthma attack, crying and begging for his brother to come hold him. Each night Leon was forced to pick up the pieces and tape it together, because he knew very well Hop and his parents were counting on him. Leon gritted his teeth and fought back tears for the quickest of moments before he finally stepped forward to climb onto the red race car bed and bring Hop into his arms.

”Hey... Hey champ.” Leon cooed, a soft smile on his face as he settled Hop into his lap and held the male’s head against his chest. He began to rub gentle circles on Hop’s back- anything to calm the male and make him feel better. “You gotta listen to mum, alright? I know you don’t like the medicine... but it’ll make you feel better.”

Leon watched as his mother just stood back and wipe tears from her eyes. From any parent it was always hard to see their child in bad health. She didn’t say anything- for she knew very well that Leon was the only possible person to take care of him.

Within school and at home- Leon was always there. There were times when Leon even left in the middle of class to take care of Hop; but it didn’t matter. Leon was willing to do anything for his little brother.

“L-Lee...” Hop whimpered softly, snuggling himself in Leon’s hold, just relaxing to the sounds of Leon’s strong heartbeat within his ear. It was so strong and pure- the melody almost akin to a lullaby. Leon sighed in relief and looked up to his mother, however suddenly the front door was heard causing Leon to frown in worry. 

“Relax.” Leon’s mother said, a soft yet sad smile on her face as she stood up and ruffled her hand in Leon’s plum hair. “Let me go greet your father.”

Leon nodded and sighed, exhausted from the endless cycle each night. He sat there in silence for a few moments after his mother left and looked over to the nebulizer to check how much longer it had left. But he was suddenly cut off within his train of thought and jumped at the sudden sounds of Hop coughing and wheezing within his mask.

”L-Lee...” Hop whispered, holding a small dragon plush within his hands. He reached up a single hand and rubbed his eye tiredly. “Am... am I--” he wheezed. “Am I... gonna die?”

Leon paused and looked down, eyes widening in horror at such a question. Almost immediately he shook his head and sat Hop up quickly on his lap. 

“No no no-- no...” Leon said in shambles. He closed his eyes for a few moments and took a deep breath. “No, Hop. You’re not going to die. I promise.”

But then Leon paused again-- could he even promise such a thing? Just the idea of his little brother-- too young to even understand what it meant to truly die-- for him to ask such a question made Leon’s voice break within the very next words he spoke:

“I-I promise, okay...?” Leon closed his eyes and cradled the boy in his arms. “I promise...”

He knew he was lying-- and that lie burnt holes within his heart. It stung with each moment that passed. The doctors themselves had even told his parents that Hop’s fate in the future was all up to chance; he could live a wonderful happy life, or the next attack could be his last. Leon couldn’t do anything about it— he couldn’t even grieve. He had to remain strong, in which he spent many nights crying to himself all alone in the darkness, shedding ghostly tears for his brother.

”Okay.” Hop replied with a soft smile, another wheeze leaving his chest as the fog disappeared and reappeared within his mask. “I don’t wanna die... because if I do, I can’t play soccer with you, right? And... I don’t want mummy and daddy to be sad.”

Leon chuckled softly and raised his thumbs to gently stroke at Hop’s face. 

“Don’t worry, champ.” He said. “We’ll play soccer together someday. I promise.”    
  
“And-- And!” Hop suddenly quipped, his little lungs clenching and wirthing tightly as he tried so hard to talk to his brother. “And-- And we can go on an adventure together, and be the best, and make everyone happy! Right, Zarry?” Hop lifted up the doll in his hands and waved it’s claw around as if it was agreeing with him.   
  
Leon smiled and gently took the doll within his hands. He couldn’t believe that after all this time, the poor thing managed to survive the years of abuse he and his brother had put the thing through. The toy had tears, rips, and even scars from the many times their mother had to stitch it back together, and the deep orange color the toy one had was now dulled and had patches of stains from the many times their mother washed it from all the spilled food, chocolate milk, and baby formula. Even the tiny little shirt it wore- a mini version of Leon’s soccer jersey with his Number 1 symbol on it-- it still wasn't spared from the wrath of the two boys. Just the sight made Leon want to giggle with how silly it was.   
  
“I see you kept Zarry all this time, huh?” Leon asked, bouncing it in the air in front of Hop as if the toy was trying to talk to him. He never bothered to correct Hop with the fact that the toy was called Charizard, since he knew Hop couldn’t pronounce the word too well.   
  
“Duh!” Hop wheezed. “Mummy said you got it when you were a baby-- and he became your best friend! So when you gave him to me, he became my best friend too! And then-- and then, when I get better, we can go on an adventure and find Zarry and make friends with him and then we can be everyone’s champion and make friends with every Pokemon in the entire world!”   
  
Leon chuckled and poked Hop in his stomach, causing the boy to squirm and giggle. “Yeah. You and me-- we’ll get our very own Charizard and be the very best.”   
  
Leon knew that one day, he had to break it all to Hop. That Santa Claus wasn’t real, that the Tooth Fairy was simply their mother hiding quarters under their pillows, and that Pokemon of course, weren’t real and were just something someone made up to sell toys and cards. Leon knew especially that he was going to have to be the one to rip away Hop’s innocence under his feet one day and force him to face reality-- that’s if Hop lived long enough to see that day. But right here, right now, he wanted Hop to dream. He wanted to jump in that dream with him. To pretend that the world was happy and full of light-- to pretend that Pokemon were real, and that one day they could become trainers together. To pretend that maybe-- just maybe, Hop wouldn’t die. Leon wanted to live in that dream forever if it meant Hop could be happy.   
  
“Yeah… we’ll do all of that. I promise.” Leon suddenly turned his head at the sound of the door opening, only to see their father standing in the doorway. The man looked like a mess-- hair pressed down and sweaty from the helmet he had to wear, and half undressed from his uniform being dumped by the front door when he first entered. Even his feet, with his socks sticking to his toes from the sweat that he had to endure in his steel-toed boots weren’t spared. The bags under his eyes told Leon that their father had been working overtime again, which wasn’t all that shocking to him.   
  
“Hi, kiddo.” Their father quipped, face soft as he slowly made his way into the room and sat on the edge of Hop’s little bed. He reached out and took the boy in his arms and sat him on his lap. “I heard you had another asthma attack.”   
  
“I did, but Lee made it go away.” Hop said with a nod. His mother moved forward and took off his mask before she began to put the nebulizer away. “He promised I’m gonna get better so I promise I’m gonna get better too!”   
  
Leon cringed at the words. He felt as if Hop was merely reciting his beautiful lie-- and their mother noticed that too. Her eyes locked with Leon, with hers full of sadness and disappointment, as if she was asking him why Leon would promise such a thing.   
  
Their father, on the other hand, didn’t seem too bothered by Hop’s words. He chuckled and ruffled the boy’s head.   
  
“Don’t worry, I know you will.” The father said with the same cheeky grin his sons had inherited from him. “You know what will help a whole lot too? Getting some sleep. Come-- let’s let your brother get back to sleep. You can sleep with your mum and I tonight.”   
  
“What?” Hop asked with a whine. His face immediately twisted in disappointment. “Nooooo… I wanna sleep with Lee!”   
  
Leon cringed again at the mere thought of sleeping with Hop. It wasn’t that he hated sleeping with his little brother no-- but Hop kicked in his sleep, and Leon did too-- and so with Leon being the bigger and therefore stronger brother, he was usually the victor. Plenty of times he was woken up to the sounds of Hop crying after being accidentally kicked off the bed, and each bruise that he saw on Hop’s body from their kicking matches in bed, well, it made Leon feel more horrible than he already did. Even after all that-- Hop still wanted to sleep with Leon every single night. Nothing could separate Hop from his hero, it seemed. But Leon just didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up.   
  
“I’m sorry, kiddo.” Their father said with a sigh. He stood up from the bed and lifted the whining Hop within his arms. “You two constantly go at it when you sleep together, and I think I’m the only one in this house who can handle your little chicken legs in my back in the middle of the night.” As if to make a point, he playfully pinched Hop’s leg which caused the boy to whine. Their mother giggled softly at the sight.   
  
“But I don’t wanna…!” Hop tried to retort, but it was all in vain.    
  
“I’ll be right in my room, okay Hop?” Leon asked, standing up so he could comfort the boy. “Don’t worry. If any monsters come out I’ll take ‘em all out. Just hold Zarry with you okay? It’ll be like I'm there.”   
  
Leon’s words did nothing to comfort Hop in his time of need. He merely continued to whine with his arm reaching out for his brother as their father began to take him away to put him to bed in their room. “Noooooooooooo….”   
  
As soon as Hop left the room, Leon felt himself exhale a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Tonight wasn’t going to be the night Hop dies. He felt a sense of relief, that he didn’t have to pretend any longer. That he could break down and cry right there, and Hop wouldn’t see it. He could finally take off the mask he learned to put on whenever Hop was in his arms. But the relief didn’t last long, for he knew his mother was going to say something, which she did.   
  
“I know you’re scared for him…” she began, voice quiet and gentle as she placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder. Leon couldn’t help but stare at the nebulizer that was on Hop’s desk-- a desk that was too tiny for someone who was dying. “And it’s good to have hope…”   
  
“...But?” Leon asked, almost bitterly. He couldn’t bare to turn around and face his mother. Not because he was angry with her, but because he knew he was about to break apart. The nebulizer at that point had been staring back at Leon, almost as if it was taunting him. Leon’s hands were clenched into fists, and he tried so hard not to tremble.   
  
His mother sighed softly, and closed her eyes. “...He’s… He’s going to be okay. The best we can do… is spend as much time as we possibly can with him and enjoy being with him until… whatever fate decides.”   
  
Her voice cracked at her last words, and Leon knew very well why. The adults treated him like he was too young to understand anything, but he knew. He knew the truth of it all. He swallowed the lump in his throat as his mother brought him in her arms.   
  
“We’re all rooting for you and him, okay?” His mother asked with a hopeful smile as she reached out and pinched Leon’s cheek playfully. “My little champion.”   
  
Leon forced a small smile as tears finally trailed down his eyes, which his mother wiped away with her thumbs. “Y-Yeah… I know… I won’t let you guys down.” Another lie.   
  
“Thank you, Leon.” She brought Leon into a hug and kissed him on the forehead. “Now get some sleep.”   
  
By some sheer miracle, Leon was able to make his way back to his room as Hop went to sleep with his parents. He didn’t even need to turn on the light in his room for he simply just made a beeline straight to his bed and plopped himself on it with his feet dangling off. He didn’t have the energy to even go under the blanket.    
  
Leon kept thinking about the nebulizer, how it was just sitting there, on Hop’s desk, taunting him. He could imagine it right now, like a cartoon with a big lined mouth and flat hands, laughing at him and yelling “Ha! Your brother is all mine!” Leon didn’t care about the monster under the bed anymore. He cared about the monster that was threatening to take Hop away from him.   
  
“Why…” he uttered softly, voice muffled in his pillow. He couldn’t even breathe at that moment, but didn’t care. The thought of just wanting to jump from this world and into the next the day his brother dies crossed his mind. “What am I supposed to do?”   
  
Suddenly, Leon raised his head. He heard shuffling on his desk, causing the male to jolt up in bed and stare straight at his desk. On second thought-- maybe he was still afraid of the monster under his bed. Of course, the thought did cross his mind that whatever was moving around on his desk was probably a rat of some kind, but Leon still had his doubts. They never had any mice. The only time he had ever seen an animal near his house was a dead bat under his window, which was the first time Leon had learned about death.    
  
He gulped and was a tad bit ashamed at the fact that he felt so scared. All he could do was watch as his items shuffled around, only for something to pop it’s head out. But it was something unlike Leon had ever seen before.   
  
It looked like a cat, but didn’t-- it was almost like if a rabbit and a cat had a baby together, which was enough to make Leon worry about how much sleep he was getting lately. The creature had rings around its ears and glowing red eyes in the darkness, which couldn’t help but send chills down his spine despite how cute it initially seemed. With the thick fluffy tufts of fur that hung out of it’s ears like rabbit ears, it looked like a Pokemon, but Leon knew it wasn’t.    
  
“W-What the fuck!?” Leon yelped. While it was obviously just some cat that had wandered it’s way into his room despite his window being shut, he still couldn’t help but feel startled. He was too afraid to even move, for he thought the cat would just leap at him and rip his face off if he dared move an inch. Leon never forgot the day he had to get a giant shot in his arm from a dog bite from foolishly trying to pet a wild dog.   
  
With his heart beating fast enough to give him a heart attack at the age of 14, Leon slowly slid himself off his bed and inched himself towards the window to quickly open it and winced as the chill wind immediately shot right through his body. He pressed himself into the corner of the room and kept looking between the cat and the window, just hoping that the thing would get the message and just leave. But it didn’t.   
  
“Don’t worry, Leon Arslan. I am not here to cause any harm to you or your family.” The cat suddenly spoke. But it didn’t quite speak; it’s mouth didn’t move, but Leon heard it’s words in his mind. Leon almost screamed right there, at that point partially convinced that the lack of sleep started causing hallucinations.   
  
“W-What!?” Leon suddenly asked, pressed so harshly in the corner of his room he almost merged with his wall. “How are you talking-- why do you know my name!?”   
  
The cat just sat there, so still Leon would have thought that it was just a doll with a speaker in it’s chest had it not been shuffling through his things just a second ago. It raised its head again to look closer at him, causing the boy to yelp. “My name is Kyubey. I have been watching you for quite a while-- along with you and your friends Piers Dolion and Raihan Jabali. I’m communicating to you through telepathy.”   
  
Leon nodded slowly, this entire thing so far out of his experience that he just didn’t know what to do or say other than just stand there and look at Kyubey like he had two heads. Despite this, the mention of his friends did make Leon feel a tad bit better about the whole situation.   
  
“You’ve…” Leon slowly began, shoulders relaxing and body moving forward to talk to the creature more clearly. “You’ve been… watching us? Why? Is there, uh… Is there anything you need or something?”   
  
The cat nodded it’s head and raised a paw, causing Leon to jump and cower, although he couldn’t help but cringe at how jumpy he was. He looked at the clock-- 2:30am.   
  
“Yes.” Kyubey replied with a small nod. “I want you three to make contracts with me, and become heroes”   
  
“Become… heroes…?” Leon asked. At that point, he was just assuming all of this was a dream and was just going along with it for the sake of getting some rest before he had to go to school. “What do you mean, heroes? Like… fighting monsters and stuff? Heroes of what?”   
  
Leon finally fully emerged from his corner and sat down on the bottom bunk of his bed. Kyubey jumped down from his desk and sat down right in front of the tired boy.   
  
“Leon…” Kyubey began. For some reason, Leon could tell he wasn’t going to really understand what he was about to hear. “Do you know why there is evil in the world?”   
  
Leon was shocked by that question. He stood silent for a couple of moments before he merely shrugged. “I… I dunno. I mean, mum says it's because some people don’t remember what it was like to be happy… and some people say it’s because of the devil, and stuff…”   
  
Kyubey nodded. “Well then-- maybe I’ll just ask this question instead; Leon, what would you do if I told you that magic was real?”   
  
“Magic…?” Leon’s eyes widened. He figured it was pretty ‘magical’ for there to be a talking cat in front of him, but to hear him bring up such a thing piqued his interest. “I’d… I’d find a way to use that magic… to make Hop healthy and protect the people I love.”   
  
“And what if I told you, there exist beings in this world that is the cause of all the despair in the world?”   
  
“Despair?” That one was more abstract. Leon had an idea of what despair meant-- it was similar to pain and sadness. “Well… I’d want to do something about it… and protect everyone. To be the hero that Hop thinks I am…”   
  
Kyubey went silent, as if thinking carefully about this answer. “Leon, in this world, there exist these monsters called Witches. They’re horrible, horrible creatures that are the cause of almost all the misfortune in the world. Murder, suicide… most of that is the cause of a Witch. When near, they even feed off of people’s lives… especially sick people, like your brother.”   
  
Leon’s heart stopped. He almost fell forward at what Kyubey was saying, and it took every nerve in his body to stop himself from getting too in over his head. “You mean… you mean his asthma-- that’s because of a Witch!?”   
  
“No-- No.” Kyubey quickly replied. “Pestilence is a natural part of human life. Your brother’s illness isn’t the result of a Witch’s curse. However… Witches enjoy feeding off of people like Hop, and people like… say, your friend Piers.”   
  
“Piers?” That was another name Leon wasn’t expecting to be brought up. Piers wasn’t sick-- at least, not physically. But since what happened with Marnie a year ago… “So what you’re saying is… they’re in danger?”   
  
“Yes.” Kyubey was pleased by how quickly Leon was catching on. “They are very dangerous, and naked to the human eye. They hide in their pocket dimensions called Labyrinths, and normal humans if trapped in one, cannot escape. However… what I do is I go around to young, strong capable children like you and your friends and make contracts with them, to grant them the powers needed to kill these Witches. It is very dangerous, and many children die. However, in return, I will grant you a wish, of anything you could ever want-- given if you have the potential for it, which you certainly do--”   
  
“Please!” Leon suddenly exclaimed, at that point falling off of his bed and onto his knees to plead with the creature. “Please-- save Hop! Cure him! I’ll do anything!” Just the mere fact that there were these Witches that threatened people was enough to make Leon want to help fight, but the idea of a wish made it even more imperative to him. “I don’t care if I have to fight these monsters-- I’ll do anything if it means Hop will live!”   
  
Kyubey expected such a reaction, so he didn’t move aside from inching away from Leon so the boy wouldn’t accidentally fall on him. His feline face was stoic and devoid of any human emotion, but it still appeared to be pleased by Leon’s desire to make a contract with him.    
  
“Well then, make a contract with me, and I will do just that. I’d like to approach Raihan and Piers with this opportunity as well-- after all, it would be better if you three form a team of your own. Hunting Witches is a very dangerous endeavor, so you need all the help you can get.”   
  
Leon sniffled softly and raised his hands and rubbed his eyes. It didn’t even matter to him if this was a dream or not-- he didn’t care. He was willing to do anything to just have one moment of hope. Even if it was a fake one. “O-Okay… that means… you can help Marnie too, right? And… there’s other people who fight Witches too?”   
  
“Yes.” Kyubey replied. “All throughout the world. There are some people you know that have made contracts with me themselves; however it would be best to avoid them for now… After all, no one likes it when someone meddles in the affair of their territory and work.”   
  
“Territory?” Leon asked. “What do you mean? Aren’t we all on the same team? Why would it be a problem-- wait, forget that!”   
  
Leon slammed his hands on the ground and stared Kyubey straight in the eyes, a particular fire burning within them for the first time since Leon could ever remember. He felt invigorated, like this was the moment he was waiting for. “I’ll do it! I’ll make a contract with you right here, right now! Kyubey, I wish--”   
  
The door opened, and Leon suddenly yelped and fell back on the floor. His mother was there in the doorframe and turned on the light, only for her to tap her foot aggressively on the floor. Leon scrambled. “M-Mum!”   
  
“Leon!” Came his mother’s loud, angry voice. “It is three in the morning and you have school tomorrow! What did I say about using the phone after bedtime!?” She stomped her heavy feet within the room, causing Leon to shake his head and whimper in fear of getting in trouble.   
  
“I-I’m not-- I promise!” Leon yelped. He pointed next to him. “T-This cat is going to make a contract--” Leon’s eyes widened. Kyubey was nowhere to be seen. He whimpered when his mother came and scooped him up in her arm. “M-Mum!!!”   
  
“Leon, what are you talking about? This is why I tell your father not to let you watch cartoons before bed. That’s it, you’re sleeping with us tonight too.” She walked forward, albeit slowly due to her much heavier child scooped up in one arm, but that still didn’t stop her.    
  
Leon shook his head and squirmed rapidly within his mother’s grasp. “Mum! I-I’m telling the truth! He said-- The cat said he was going to give me a wish!!” He reached out for his room, but he saw no Kyubey in sight. “Noooo!”   



	2. 0.2 - Past Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming on to the second chapter! ^_^ I hope you all are enjoying it so far. Please if you have a chance, make a review and tell me what you think! Just a quick warning, this chapter will feature triggering themes such as suicide. Please read at your discretion ^^

Leon fought to stay awake on the school bus. With how crowded the bed was after his mother dragged him to their room, and after all of the mental stress he had just gone through the night before, Leon couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. Of course, all of that came crashing down on him as he sat there on the bus, with his eyes blinking themselves awake each time he drifted off to the vibrations of the bus on his seat.

“Kyubey…” Leon whispered softly to himself, nodding off yet again. 

“Leon!”

Leon jumped and dropped his Nintendo Switch right out of his hands and onto the ground with the boy hissing loudly in frustration as he looked up to see who it was.

“Raihan!” Leon scolded. “What the hell, you scared the crap out of me…!” He reached down and grabbed his game and began inspecting it for damage, only to sigh in relief a moment later when he realized there was no damage aside from a tiny scratch. Raihan stood there laughing to himself with his set of pearly whites.

“Pfft, sorry…” Raihan chuckled and sat himself down next to Leon. “Couldn’t resist... Hey, is Piers skivin’ today? He wasn’t at his stop.”

Leon shrugged. While Piers did skip school one or twice in the past, it was never in habit, and he had always let Raihan and Leon know. While the news wasn’t too out of left field, it was a tad bit unlike Piers either way.

“He didn’t text me, maybe he’s coming in late again…?” Leon pondered. “We have to talk to the counselor today and I know Piers hates doing that. Maybe his mum took his phone away too?”

Raihan shrugged and absentmindedly scrolled through his cellphone to check if he had any new messages. “I guess. But…” he paused and put his phone down. “How long do you think we’re gonna have to— you know…?”

Leon’s eyes softened. “I have no clue… I mean… I don’t know why they make us talk to the counselor every week… what happened two years hurt Piers and Marnie more than anybody… Oh!”

He turned in his seat to face Raihan, and in that instant all of his tiredness slipped out of him and out the window. “Raihan! I have to tell you something that happened last night!”

Leon had his doubts still, that what happened the night before with Kyubey was a dream— after all, he hadn’t heard a single thing from the cat after his mom so graciously barged into his room at three in the morning. Regardless, just the idea of being able to cure his brother made Leon feel a sort of fire in his heart he couldn’t quite explain. 

“Last night— okay, this is gonna sound crazy and you’re going to think I’m a full of shit but I promise it’s real— last night, there was a talking cat in my room, and he said that he wanted to give all of us a wish in exchange for uh, fighting these monsters—“

He was cut off by Raihan bursting out into laughter. He knew Raihan didn’t mean any ill intent towards it, but he still couldn’t help but grumble in frustration. “Raihan, I’m serious.”

Raihan giggled with a single hand on his stomach and another hand at his side. When it seemed that Leon wasn’t joking however, Raihan’s laughter died down and he merely looked at his friend like he had two heads on his body. 

“Leon? Seriously?” Raihan asked. “Leon… I know you’ve been pretty gutted about everything that’s been going on, but… you know that kind of stuff ain’t real; hell, if you say that to the counselor she’s gunna think you’ve flipped off the deep end.” 

Leon shook his head, at that point just wanting to drop the conversation altogether. He knew it sounded ridiculous, and at the end of the day he thought the whole meeting was still probably just a dream. If anything it made him disappointed and frustrated with himself to even allow himself the chance to experience that fake hope. It made everything more painful in the end.

“Yeah, you’re right…” Leon uttered softly to himself. His gaze lingered back towards the window, and all Leon could do was watch as the cars drove by while his reflection stared back at him in the dark rainy window. “Just… just forget I ever said anything.” 

Raihan sat back within his seat. He couldn’t help but grow silent for the next few moments as a pang of guilt shot right through his chest as he watched his childhood friend deflate and close in on himself. He reached out his hand to place it on his shoulder.    
  
“Look, today’s going to go by super fast, and before you know it, you’ll be home and we’ll all hang out. Just talk about the stuff you always talk about.” He gave Leon a hopeful smile, but the boy just wasn’t sure.  


* * *

Leon sat in the office, having just traded places with Raihan once his friend’s time with the woman was up. Leon sat down in the same exact chair he always did, with his legs hanging loosely off of the soft fabric and his body sunken into the seat. He remained quiet for the first ten minutes, not quite feeling the desire to say anything.

The woman sat across from him with a soft smile on her face. She held a clipboard tightly in her hands. “How’s your week been, Leon?”

“Good…” Leon uttered quietly, his gaze was glued onto the digital clock on the woman’s desk as if he’d never seen a clock before.

The woman sighed. “Well… did anything exciting happen this week? Your parents told me you got an A on your most recent exam, and your soccer team is doing better this season now that you’re back.”

“Yeah.” Another utter, another sigh.

“Well…” The woman looked down at her notes and flipped through a couple of pages. “How’s Hop doing? Last time I heard his condition was improving-“

“He had another asthma attack last night.” Leon gritted his teeth and lifted up his legs so he could hug them. “He asked me if he was going to die. Mum basically told me to give up hope.”

The therapist paused, and closed her eyes. She stood quiet for the next few minutes and kept taking glances at the clock herself. She hummed softly and looked down at her clipboard as she flipped through the notes yet again, almost as if her notes would magically change if she flipped through them enough.

“Leon,” she began. “You… you have a lot on your plate. You're fourteen years old, and so many horrible things happened these past two years. Not only that, you’re always busy with keeping your grades high, being captain of the soccer team, and participating in your karate class. You even used to be part of little league. I know it’s my job to mainly document what happened the day of Marnie’s kidnapping, and provide support to you and everyone involved, but… you’re just as innocent and important as everyone else, Leon. It’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to show weakness. I’m here for you too.” 

Leon closed his eyes. “Am I gonna have to go stand up there in the courtroom again…?”

“No, the trial is over and you already said everything you needed to say. But regardless of all of that, I’m still your therapist, and I’m still going to remain here at the school for the rest of the year just for you and your friends.” She tried to offer a small smile. “However… even though the trial is over… it’s still good to talk through what happened. You never really told me your side of the story of what happened… I think it might help you feel better if you tell me.”

Leon went quiet again. Truth be told he was just sick of having to repeat the same story over and over.

“Okay…” he began, eyes closing. “Well…”

“Don’t force yourself.”

“...Well. Two years ago, Piers, Raihan, Marnie and I were walking to the store. Piers’ mum gave us money to get some candy since it was the first year anniversary of Piers and Marnie’s adoption. She only wanted Raihan and I to take Piers and Marnie to the store to distract them while she set up the cake… Hop was helping her set up since his asthma was acting up that week.”

The therapist began to jot notes down furiously. “Oh… so she wanted to throw a little surprise party.” 

Leon gritted his teeth at the attempt of small talk. “Yeah… and… well, it happened so fast. I just… I remember all of us walking. Piers was holding Marnie’s hand, and I was standing next to Piers while Raihan was just… being an idiot in front of us.” 

He giggled at the thought, but the brief moment of happiness was only replaced by his darkening expression. “And, I didn’t notice it, but a black van just… drove right up to us. They didn’t even try to talk to any of us or try to give us candy or anything. It wasn’t like on the telly or you know, the stranger danger stuff mum and dad taught me. These two grown ups in black just came out and just… ripped Marnie out of Piers’ arms and took her. They tried to take Piers too, but Raihan and I managed to fight them off. We tried to get Marnie back, but they… they just went in the van and drove off. Piers… I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on Piers’ face. He and Raihan too-- they both ran so fast, trying so hard to chase after the van… but, it was just too fast for any of us to go after it. I couldn’t even catch the plate number—“

“The plate number wouldn’t even have mattered, Leon. It was a switched plate from another car.”

“...Right. Raihan and Piers kept trying to chase after the car, but it was just gone so quickly… my phone was dead so I ran to get help… there was no one around but us, so we were the only witnesses.”

Leon paused as the therapist flipped a page and furiously continued to jot down her notes. Once he could tell she was finished, Leon continued.

“A lady opened the door on the house I knocked on, and I just remember crying and she could barely understand what I was saying… she called 999 and then things just went from there, I guess. Raihan and I had to hold Piers back because he just couldn’t stop— he would’ve probably ran until his body gave out on him trying to go after that car. He was just… freaking out so much. I never saw Piers freak out like that. He even started throwing up.”

“...Yes.” The therapist said with a nod. “And what happened after that?”

“Well…” Leon sighed. “The police came, and then Piers’ mum and dad found out, and things just got worse and worse since then. They couldn’t find her or the van, and none of us knew what the guys who took her looked like because of the masks they were wearing. I… Piers’ mum just kept begging us, just kept asking us over and over again if we remembered anything else but we didn’t… the police had to bring her to another room because she was freaking out and then the police started questioning us one by one. Raihan got pissed because the cops kept trying to talk to us like we were kindergarteners or something and they wouldn’t even take us seriously… And then, after that, things just happened, I guess. A week later they sent the ransom note to Piers’ mum. They told her that if they didn’t pay the money, they’d chop Marnie up to pieces… well, that’s what the kids at school said. It was all over the telly, and everyone kept talking about it in school. Before the police found Marnie and took her home, Piers was bullied by some of the bigger kids and they told him they knew where she was, that they were the ones that did it, that Marnie was probably raped and tortured, and that she was most likely already dead…”

“Kids can be cruel, can’t they?”

“...Yeah. Piers was taken out of school for months because of it. The worst was when one time when someone snuck in a realistic candy finger into Piers’ box during lunch. Piers had a panic attack… and then when the kid who did it started laughing, Piers just… went crazy. I couldn’t even recognize him. He just literally threw himself over the table and started beating the kid as hard as he could. He even started choking him. I remember Raihan and I trying to hold him back, and all the other kids made a ring around us and some panicked and some cheered on the fight. Then the lunch aids came. There was just… blood everywhere. The kid ended up having a broken nose and had to get stitches. Piers broke a few fingers and had split knuckles from how hard he was punching him. Before that everyone had just been sending all the news articles and stuff around, but I think the candy finger thing was what really made him snap.”

The therapist nodded and started a new page. “I see… around that time was when I was called in to personally talk to you and everyone else. Do you remember what happened the day Marnie was found?”

Leon nodded. “Yeah. Marnie was missing for two months when they found her. I remember my mum running downstairs and telling us what happened as soon as she found out. We thought everything was going to be okay… but it wasn’t. As far as I know, they never knew what happened to Marnie in those two months. Marnie… just wouldn’t talk anymore. She didn’t talk… and she didn’t smile. The last time I heard her talk… was she was asking Piers to get her some lollies the day she was kidnapped. She was just… so happy then. Since then, Piers’ mum got super strict and paranoid, and Piers started sneaking out of home and school. I know it’s been two years already, but now… I just…”

He paused for a while. Even though Marnie wasn’t his own sister, the thought of everything caused tears to fall down his eyes. The therapist sighed and closed her notepad, but Leon wasn’t done yet.

“Everyone says it’s not my fault, but I know it is. I just— maybe I could’ve done something different— maybe if I just stood closer to Piers and Marnie, or reacted fast enough—“

“Leon…” The therapist whispered softly, her gentle and quiet. “You were barely twelve years old. There is nothing you could have done differently that would’ve stopped those men from taking Marnie away. I know it feels like it, but you were not at fault. You were just a little boy… and you still are.”

Leon couldn’t take it anymore. His voice cracked, and he started crying. “I quit baseball after that, and, and I just— I’d have so many nightmares… I was so scared of taking my eyes off of Hop for a second; I thought any moment, those guys were going to come for him, and take him away too. And then right after that, Hop’s asthma started getting so much worse, and…”

Leon began to sob. He placed his face within his hands and his small body began to tremble softly in his seat. “I’m only 14, I can’t take any of this…! Hop’s gonna die, Marnie is never going to get better, and I’m… I’m just worthless! I can’t even help my friends… why can’t I just die instead!?”

“Leon.” The therapist said. “It’s okay—“

“It’s not okay!” Leon snapped and he sat up in his chair. “Everynight I have to lie to Hop’s face, telling him everything’s gonna be okay when it’s not! And then— and then everyone’s counting on me to just deal with it! I’m not even happy anymore, even playing soccer and going to karate… I don’t even want to do any of that anymore! Nothing makes me happy… I have to just wake up and get good grades, and pretend like everything’s fine because my mum and dad will be upset if I don’t. Aren’t THEY the ones who are supposed to be grown ups!? Shouldn’t THEY be the ones having to do all that instead!?” Leon felt adrenaline rushing through his veins, and the boy was left merely panting from how much he got out of his system in the past few seconds. He was in a cold sweat, and Leon was almost even shocked at himself. The therapist merely sat here and watched him closely and allowed him to take the next few seconds to rest.

After a few minutes, Leon finally broke the silence. He closed his eyes and looked to the side. “...Can I go back to lunch now?”

* * *

The door opened, and Leon exited the room while dragging his feet. If he wasn’t exhausted then, he was certainly exhausted now. Raihan was waiting there by the door, playing games on his phone only to stand up as soon as Leon left the room.

“Hey, how’d it go?” Raihan asked. He could tell Leon wasn’t doing too well, so he just placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and began walking with him outside so they could try to eat before recess was over. “You were pretty loud in there…”

“Raihan,” Leon began, signing. He forced himself to pause for the sake of not appearing as if he was snapping at him or was angry at him. “I’m just… 

Raihan could immediately tell that Leon wasn’t doing okay. And so he merely sighed and slung his long arm around his younger friend, and held him close against his shoulder. Despite Leon not saying anything about it, he visibly seemed to relax from the physical touch. “It’s okay, Leon…”   
  
They ended up outside of the school, with thirty minutes of recess left. The park outside of their school was full of children, mostly from the younger grades, who were jumping on jungle gyms, sliding down slides, and running around playing tag as if there was nothing wrong with the world. Leon and Raihan sat on a bench separated from all of that, and it was in that moment that Leon felt envy towards the children; things were so simple way back when.   
  
Leon sat down on the seat of the bench, while Raihan sat on the back of the bench with his feet resting on the seat itself. They both opened up their lunchboxes, with Leon taking out a small note from his box and peering down upon it. It was from his mother, and Leon couldn’t help but make the tiniest smile upon reading it.   
  
_ Your dad and I love you so much, our little champion. xoxo - Mom _ _  
_ _  
_ Raihan chuckled as he watched his friend read the note. “Man, I wish my mum gave me little notes like that. I’d take that over seeing her like once a week.” He took out his own lunch, which was just pre bought snacks from the store while Leon’s own lunch was made by his mother.    
  
Leon smiled softly and closed his eyes. “Yeah… I love mum.”   
  
Leon lifted his sandwich to take a large bite out of it, while Raihan lifted up his phone to check if Piers had responded to any of their text messages. Raihan began to grumble.   
  
“Man,” Raihan said, voice hinting of frustration. “He still hasn’t answered me. He always gets his supid fucking cell phone taken away now. Let's stop by his house later… huh?”   
  
Leon raised his head, wondering why his companion had paused. He was only met with Raihan’s bewildered look, causing Leon to look forward at whatever Raihan was looking at. “What’s wrong--”   
  
Infront of the both of them was Kyubey, sitting quietly watching them as if it was an animal waiting to be petted or given food. It raised it’s hand and seemed to smile, although Leon couldn’t help but shutter although he appreciated the attempt of a greeting. Leon’s eyes widened, and he almost dropped his food.   
  
“Kyubey!” He suddenly exclaimed, a little too loud. He placed his food down on his seat and knelt down to try to hide the cat from the others around them. “Raihan…! This is the cat I was talking about! Kyubey, you can’t just sit here out in the open--”   
  
“Don’t worry.” Kyubey replied, wiggling out of Leon’s hold so he could jump on the bench and nestle himself in between Leon and Raihan. He lowered his head and began nibbling on the carrots Leon’s mother had packed him. “You and Raihan are the only people who can see me right now. I normally am unable to be seen by other humans unless I reveal myself to them.”   
  
Suddenly, Raihan dropped his lunchbox, sending his snacks all over the ground in front of them. He slammed his hands on both sides, and suddenly began to blare out loudly.    
  
“Woahh!!” Raihan exclaimed in awe. He pressed his face right up against Kyubey, almost as if he was trying to get the cat engraved in his mind, or check if he was hallucinating what was in front of him. He even lifted up the cat to try to look for some kind of speaker in it’s chest before he took out his phone and began snapping as many pictures as he could of it. “This fucking cat!? Holy shit, I can’t believe he talks! How is he even talking to us, oh shit-- I can hear him in my mind, that’s so cool! I’m posting this on Facebook.”   
  
“I uh…” Leon began with a nervous chuckle as he reached up his finger to scratch gently at his cheek. “I don’t think taking pictures of him is a good idea…”   
  
“Damn!” Raihan groaned. “He doesn’t show up in the pictures, what the hell!?”   
  
“I told you.” Kyubey said as soon as Raihan finally put him back down on the bench. “It is impossible to document me unless I allow myself to be seen. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, Leon. I had a lot of errands to attend to today which made me late.”   
  
“It’s okay.” Leon replied with a smile. He even reached down his hands so he could take some of the vegetables out of his tupperware so he could put some on the bench for Kyubey to nibble on. “Here you go. I’m just happy you weren’t just a thing I dreamt up… Raihan thought I was going crazy on the bus today…”   
  
Leon paused, and his eyes widened. The idea of a wish immediately crossed his mind, and he almost dropped his food again, although this time, out of desperation. “You’re gonna give us a wish, right!? Can I make mine right now? I want to make a contract!”   
  
“Wait wait--” Raihan began as he lifted up his hands. “Is he like a genie? What’s the catch if we make a wish? There’s gotta be a catch.”   
  
“Oh…” Leon sighed softly and raised his head to look at Raihan. “I forgot to tell you, uhh… Kyubey…?”   
  
“Don’t worry.” Kyubey reassured. He turned his body and faced Raihan as the cat prepared his little speech. “Let me explain…”  
  
“...So,” Raihan looked out towards the playground, and over to all of the other playing children and the aides who were watching over them. “You’re sayin’ there's these monsters called Witches, that kill people, and you need us to take ‘em out?”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“Woah.” Raihan kicked his legs back, placed his hands against the back of his head. “That’s pretty nutty, innit?”   
  
“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Leon said with a small groan. By that point he had already finished eating his sandwich, and relinquished the rest of his vegetables over to Kyubey. “I’m doing it. I… I have to wish for Hop to get better. Without him, I…”   
  
Raihan’s eyes softened. Normally he would be a tad bit worried about his friends doing such a thing, but he knew when it came to Hop, Leon did whatever he needed to do no questions asked. “Piers’ll probably use his wish on Marnie… shit, what would I wish for, then?”   
  
“What do you mean?” Leon asked.    
  
“I mean,” Raihan allowed his arms to rest at his side while his eyes fluttered shut. “I… I don’t have any siblings to use my wish on. And I have everything I could ever want. I just-- I kinda feel like this wish is kinda getting wasted on me, ya know…? After all… there’s probably so many kids out there in the world that would kill for such a thing, and here I am, a rich kid with everything I could ever want. Even though my parents are never home… my wish wouldn’t do anything good just wishing for them to be around more.”   
  
Leon’s gaze softened. He reached out a hand to comfort the male. “Raihan…”   
  
“Haha!” Raihan giggled sheepishly with a nervous hint to his tone. He playfully punched Leon in the arm. “Just pullin’ ya leg.”   
  
“I can give you more time to make a contract if you would like.” Kyubey offered. “Some people take time in deciding what to wish for. It’s normal.”

“No no, it’s fine.” Raihan sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “I’ll think of something…”

“Well,” Leon smiled. “I already know what I’m wishing for!”

Leon raised his head to see the children were now heading back to class due to recess being over. Leon groaned loudly to himself at just how unlucky he seemed to be since the night before. He stood up and dusted himself off. Raihan tossed his garbage into the garbage can next to him and jumped off of his seat.

“Let’s come here after school and do it.” Raihan said as he began to stretch and crack his limbs. “Maybe Piers’ll reply to us by then and meet up with us.”

* * *

School had proceeded for the rest of the day. Classes went along normally, with Leon paying as much attention as he possibly could, and Raihan goofing off as much as possible. Since Kyubey allowed them to communicate telepathically to each other, Raihan was constantly talking to Leon during class, which caused the male to grow frustrated now that Raihan has nothing stopping him from being distracted despite the fact that the teacher had to constantly take his phone away. Before both boys knew it, the bell blared, signaling classes ending for the day. As students poured out of their classrooms in waves crumbled up together like packed sardines, Leon slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked with Raihan towards the playground so they could wait for their friend.

“Have you heard from Piers?” Leon asked.

“Nah.” Raihan uttered. They made it to the bench the three normally sat at, although Kyubey was the new addition that simply sat on Leon’s shoulder. 

“Does your friend always do this?” Kyubey asked, ears loosely floating in the wind.

“No.” Leon said. He kept checking his phone every second or so to make sure he didn’t miss a message. “I mean— since last year, he started getting his phone taken away a lot… and his mum is really strict about letting him go outside alone, so it’s not really that dodgy… but still— I’m worried maybe somethin’ happened with Marnie…”

“I think they’re fine.” Raihan uttered softly. He sat up on the bench. “I know shit’s fucked up, but Piers is solid iron. An’ Marnie… I know she’s alright. She… She’s in there, somewhere. Wherever her mind is, well… she has the best big brother in the world to bring her back.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Listen.” Raihan patted Leon’s shoulder and flashed the boy a toothy grin. “You’re thinkin’ way too hard over this! Let’s just get some curry and play some video games at my house—“

Raihan grunted loudly as someone roughly bumped shoulders into him and continued on walking. Raihan hissed and stood up from the bench as the person who bumped into him merely just continued to walk off.

“Oi!!” Raihan hissed, fist raised in frustration. “Watch where ya going—“

He paused. There Piers was, just walking away with his posture slumped and back facing the two friends. Raihan sighed and placed his hands on his hips, the boy relieved himself to see that his friend was okay. 

Leon stood up as well and moved forward to greet their friend. 

“Hey Piers!” Leon chimed, giggling softly as he placed his hand on Piers’ shoulder. “Was your phone not working or something? That happens to me sometimes—“ his eyes widened. 

Piers stumbled over and pulled his shoulder away from Leon’s hand. His gaze was to the ground in front of them, and Leon couldn’t help but stand back nervously as Piers merely continued to slowly drag his feet forward.

Raihan reached out and grabbed onto Piers’ wrist. “Piers, what’s wrong?”

Piers looked back at the two, and Leon and Raihan stood in shock. Piers merely peered up into their eyes, with his own icy blue eyes in a blank gaze. He almost didn’t even address his two friends at first, that is until he finally replied with a delayed response.

“...Raihan… Leon… what are ya… doin’ out here?” Piers asked. His voice was slurred and his tone slow, almost as if he had been drugged and didn’t know what he was saying. Raihan and Leon looked at each other before Leon moved forward.

“Didn’t you get any of our messages?” Leon asked. “We wanted to talk to you… hey, are you okay? You—“

Leon paused. On Piers’ neck was a glowing mark, a mark that appeared much like a stamp of a temple within a circle. At that point he grabbed Piers’ hand and pulled him closer to inspect it. Raihan moved closer as well.

“The hell? What dollar store did ya get that tattoo from?” Raihan asked, eyes narrowing. Kyubey poked his head over Leon’s shoulder and peered at the mark only to gasp a second later.

“Oh no!” Kyubey suddenly exclaimed. “This is bad, really bad! That’s a Witch Kiss— it means Piers is being controlled by a Witch!”

“W-Wait what!?” Leon yelped. Piers started pulling his wrist away, but Leon kept trying to keep a firm grip on it. “Piers— you have to listen to me you aren’t okay right now, you—“

“‘m fine…” Piers uttered, finally breaking his wrist free from Leon’s hold. He carried his messenger bag, which was light upon his shoulders. He held the bag close to his hip before he started to walk forward once more. “‘m fine now…”

He was heading towards the forest that was behind the school. Leon ran ahead to follow his friend, while Raihan was soon behind.

“Shit, what do we do!?” Raihan asked. “Can’t we just snap him out of it or something!?”

“No, he won’t listen to whatever you say.” Kyubey warned. “This is bad, wherever he’s going, there’s probably a Witch nearby. If we get trapped inside a Labyrinth, we won’t be able to escape!”

“We can’t just leave him!” Raihan suddenly snapped. “Piers! Wherever you’re doing, just knock it off, okay!? You need to listen to us, you’re being controlled by a monster that wants to kill you!”

Piers grumbled softly and suddenly paused. He took a moment as if he was considering what he was about to say, and then continued forwards.

“...’M fine.” Piers uttered again. “Just… why don’t you… come with me? I… I want you two to come with me… I finally know how to make Marnie smile again…” 

Leon’s breath hitched in his throat. His heart was pounding as fast as a rabbit fleeing from a fox, and all he could do was just follow the boy as he continued to talk in his delusions.

“Piers, what are you talking about?” Raihan asked in panic. “You’re not making any sense!”

Piers remained silent. The three continued to follow Piers, even as the gravel crunching beneath their feet eventually disappeared within the damp soil of the path that connected their school to the forest. Evening was settling upon them quickly, and as Raihan and Leon followed behind Piers, they could only watch as their friend continued to mumble to himself. They continued on for five minutes like this until Piers finally stopped yet again, except this time, he dropped his bookbag to the ground. At that point the school was hidden behind the thick oak branches and shades of yellow, orange and red.

“Okay, Piers!” Raihan exclaimed. “We went on a little walk. Can we go home now--”

Raihan’s eyes widened. Piers had reached into his bag to get something, but what ended up emerging from his bag was a thick rope… and on the end of the rope, was a noose. 

“Woah woah— Piers!!” Leon suddenly squealed. “What the hell are you doing— think about this!”

“Piers!” Raihan yelled and lunged forward. He reached out to rip the noose right out of Piers’ hand. “Don’t do anything stupid—“

Piers suddenly ripped himself away and shoved Raihan back. The force wasn’t enough to push Raihan to the ground, but it was enough to seize his rope. He stumbled and backed up against the tree with his hair covering his eyes, and head hanging loosely on his neck. Slowly the male gritted his teeth, and his hands clenched into fists.

“...’M such a horrible older brother.” Piers uttered, voice hoarse and rehearsed. “It’s m’ fault Marnie got kidnapped… it’s ‘m fault she won’t ever smile again… but I know how to make her smile… she’ll smile again, when her piece of shit older brother ain’t around to ruin her life anymore…”

Raihan almost had his first instinct to just run up and straight up slap Piers across the face from how insane he was sounding. But he couldn’t- he couldn’t bring himself to move other than just simply watch as Piers spoke all of those horrible words. His own hands balled into fists, and Raihan began to yell.

“What the FUCK are you talking about, Piers!?” Raihan demanded. “Listen to yourself! How the fuck is it your fault Marnie got kidnapped!? There’s nothing you could have done!”

“It is my fault…” Piers whispered. “She’s better off with me dead… you guys would be happy if I was dead too—”

“Why would we be happy if you were dead!?” Leon began yelling himself. He didn’t realize it, but tears had pricked his eyes. “We’re your best friends, Piers! We care about you and we’re here for you— we always have been! If there’s anything that’s wrong you need to tell us Piers! You don’t need to hurt yourself!!”

“Leon’s right, Piers!” Raihan replied. “You’re all Marnie has— there’s no way she would be happy if you died!”

“What you’re saying won’t reach him!” Kyubey exclaimed, standing up on Leon’s shoulder. “He’s not himself right now-- it’s a Witch controlling him.” Despite his desperate pleas for the boys to listen, Leon and Raihan were far too distracted by their friend’s alarming disposition to even pay attention.

Piers seemed disappointed when he heard those words from his dear friends. He paused in what he was doing and looked back at them- his eyes while still cloudy, they now had a misty shine to them.

“Shouldn’t you be happy for me?” Piers asked, almost growing angry. “I finally know how to make my wish come true. To make Marnie smile again... it would be better off this way. You guys should join me too... you’re my friends... right?”

Piers was going to continue before suddenly, a figure came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground. It was a girl about two years younger than them. Despite the age she was well familiar with who Leon was. 

She panted softly from running all the way out in the forest. As Kyubey looked on in the newcomer, he jumped down to greet her. “Bea!”

“What are you doing here!?” The girl suddenly snapped, looking over at Leon and Raihan. “Are you two stupid? Get lost!”   
  
Piers groaned softly from being tackled so hard and held down. He blinked and his eyes opened, before he suddenly began to squirm and thrash himself to get free.

“W-What the-- get off of me!” Piers suddenly yelled. “What’s going on!?”

Bea growled and roughly let go of Piers upon realizing he was back to normal. The male quickly stood up and looked around, clearly dazed and confused. “Where am I-- why the bloody fuck is there a noose here!?”

The girl made a beeline straight towards Leon with her eyes dark and gaze darker. She didn’t even care that her uniform was now stained with soil and wet fall leaves. “Just a couple of minutes and your friend would have killed himself while you two stood here and did nothing like a bunch of dumasses.”   
  
Leon stood there in shock, almost downright dumbfounded as this girl appeared out of nowhere, only for her to approach him as if she wanted his head on a pike. Leon yelped loudly and raised his hands in front of him in a desperate attempt to ward off the girl’s wrath.

"Woah there, Bea, calm down!" the boy exclaimed. "What the hell was I supposed to do?! I was just tryna meet Piers after school like we do any other day and we had to deal with this!! Like we were gonna just leave him!"

"What the hell?” Raihan had his own hands in front of him too, although Bea’s attention was clearly on Leon. “L-Leon, do you know this chick? Why the hell is she here!?”

“I-I don’t know!” Leon stammered. With how Kyubey seemed to react to her, the cat obviously knew her from before. It still wouldn’t click within his mind, for Leon was far too distracted by Bea’s aggressive aura that was directed straight at them.

The nervous and panicked reaction only made Bea more frustrated with the two. She stood her ground, only glancing down at Kyubey to show the cat a piece of her mind.

“I told you not to make any more contracts.” Bea hissed. “I can take care of every witch myself! I don’t need idiots like them putting lives in danger just because they want to be a hero.”

Kyubey sighed softly. He was afraid of this happening. He had hoped with age, Bea would grow in maturity. But right now she was still going to be difficult to deal with. He wandered to the other side of Leon’s shoulder to try to reason with the girl.

“I explained to you many times before; I simply cannot do that. It’s my job to recruit those with potential. And these three have more than enough potential.” Kyubey exclaimed tiredly.   
  
Piers had no clue what was going on, but he was clearly frustrated with everyone ignoring him. He suddenly stepped forward towards Bea and began to bark.

“Hello!?” He demanded. “I’m right here! What the fuck is going on!? I don’t know who you are, but don’t just come in here and talk shit about my mates!”

“You idiots may not know me, but Leon and I know each other very well. I don’t know what Kyubey told you, but it isn’t a game being a magical girl or a magical boy. People die. You can die. I’m not gonna let some fool from my class wish for something stupid while there’s so many kids in the world that would kill for one and then prance around acting like he’s the champion that’s going to save the world.” 

Leon was just staring at Bea, heart pounding and mind in a whirl. But as soon as she said those last words, Leon felt a rage flare up so instantaneously he couldn’t understand where it possibly could have come from. He didn’t even know the girl very well.

"Don’t you DARE call my wish stupid!" Leon suddenly shouted, nose flaring and body shaking. “Just because we go to karate together doesn’t mean you know me! You don’t know a THING about me, or what I would wish for! Or would you call wishing for your little brother to live stupid!?”

Piers quieted down like a scolded child, while Raihan backed up in shock. Raihan had known Leon since they were in diapers and could only count the number of times he had seen Leon even remotely angry on a single hand. Leon was the most outgoing and happy person he knew; to see Leon even remotely raise his voice was one of the most starling things he’d ever seen so far. 

"Hey, hey, let's just calm down!" Raihan suddenly whimpered, voice a tad bit high at first as he raised his hands and tried to gently pull the two angry children away from each other. He didn’t even know what to possibly say-- after all, he had no idea who Bea even was.

"It doesn't matter about the wishes, right? I-I mean, doesn't Kyubey decide to grant it or not?! If it's stupid, he w-wouldn't even grant it, right?!" His voice was immediately overpowered by the sounds of Bea and Leon arguing, which for the first time left Raihan absolutely speechless. He just had no idea what to do. What didn’t help was that after the initial shock, Piers simply went for it and approached the two to argue with Bea himself.   
  
“Oi! Don’t just fucken start shit yeah, and then fucken expect me to stand here like a dumb fucken’ cunt while you talk shit to my mate!” Piers snarled.

Kyubey, seemingly frustrated with all the tension in the air, simply jumped off of Leon’s shoulder and migrated to Raihan’s next to avoid the fray. Raihan rubbed the back of his head, at the very least thankful the entire thing was verbal and not physical.

Bea was ready to yell back, but she was not ready to hear Leon’s last statement. All of a sudden, the girl’s eyes widened, and she immediately went silent. She didn’t even respond for a few moments after that, which caused a very tense silence to fill the air around them. Finally however after a couple of minutes, she clicked her tongue, turned her head and backed off. Leon was left there almost seething.

“I was afraid of Bea making contact with you three.” Kyubey said with a sigh. “This is why. Now stop your friends so we can leave before a Witch-“

Suddenly, the ground right below the group of kids began to crumble, and out from the ground burst thick tendrils of ribbons and vines. The ribbons made an attempt to latch onto whoever was nearby, which caused Raihan to fall back to the ground sending Kyubey stumbling nearby.    
  
“O-Oi!” Piers suddenly yelled, the poor boy screaming as the shattered remnants of the ground meely began to spread around them, with the trees falling apart like paper to a flame. He began to sink within the ribbons below him, and the skinny male reached out a hand to try to grab Leon who was right in front of him. “Raihan! Leon!”   
  
“P-Piers!?” Leon couldn’t have seen it coming. The ground exploding below them, the ribbons slithering out of the ground and around them like snakes to their prey. He felt the colored tendris wrap around his ankles and legs like ropes with the said appendages not wanting to let their victim go. Kyubey had managed to jump towards Bea, who stumbled forward as she began to sink within the ground just like her companions.   
  
“It’s a Witch!” Kyubey exclaimed. “Bea, do something!”   
  
“I’m trying!” Bea yelled. She reached for her bag, but suddenly a ribbon shot out of the ground and whipped her right across the face, causing the girl to almost collapse ontop of Leon and sending him onto the bed of squirming ribbons. Leon gasped for air, and before he could even make an attempt to stand up and free himself, the ribbons had already grabbed hold of him like thick tar and began to drag him further and further into the sunken ground. Leon tore his gaze back and forth between his screaming friends, and as the trees enveloped them, all Leon had to keep him grounded was the sounds of his friends screaming for help, and for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I know I haven't said it at all, but this fanfiction is actually a PMMM AU! If you have no idea wtf that is, don't worry, and continue reading! It actually makes the fanfiction much better ^_^ If you're a bit on the "wtf is this" keep going if you'd like!


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